Page 8 - Leighton News October 2017
P. 8
8
The EU evolved from a collaboration between European Back in 1925 Abel Gance began
countries in the hope of preventing further wars between working on an epic about his
them. It has been said the French were afraid of the hero. This was to be no mere
Germans, the Germans were afraid of themselves but the entertainment. The project was a
British were not afraid of anyone so were always lukewarm serious patriotic commitment. To
his enormous cast and crew he
about joining in. addressed a proclamation saying:
‘We are going to revive the
This is a story of British perseverance Revolution and the Empire. [You Abel Gance as Saint-Just
and French aspiration. The Napoleon will be] conjuring up the spirit of
of the title is about a lost silent your ancestors to convey the
cinematic masterpiece made in 1927. formidable face of France
The film needed special equipment to between 1792 and 1815’
be shown as intended so had a very
Kevin Brownlow limited release at the time. Enthusiasts So what was so remarkable about this film? The enormous
2010 honorary Oscar knew of its existence but no one knew size of the undertaking involved countless thousands of
for film preservation where all the parts were or where any real extras in the crowd scenes (years before CGI) — a
copies could be found. labour of love rather than paid work.
Fast forward to 1953 and a 15 year old Kevin Brownlow
had been collecting old silent films for four years. He was Actors, extras and the director stayed dressed in their 18th
century costumes through-out the three years it took to
particularly interested in French films of the era and had make the film Quite a lot of the Napoleon story was
romanticised but all of the leading characters were real
the luxury of a 9.5mm projector to show them on. But enough. Gance himself played the villainous revolutionary,
Saint-Just, who went to the guillotine with Robespierre.
television was quickly becoming the standard for home
entertainment so these films turned up cheaply in junk
shops around London. Quite by chance he borrowed a film
called Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Revolution. But what captured the interest of archivists were the
amazing technical innovations — never been seen before
Expecting little more than a boring educational film, Kevin and some never since. Spilt screen techniques, new camera
movements, and creative dissolves are all part of film
phoned the British Film making today. However the astounding finale has never
been repeated. Gance created huge panoramas wider than
Institute (BFI) — they any Cinemascope movie — wider even than Cinerama.
And this is one of the reasons the film disappeared from
read out a review of a view. The main part of the Napoleon film was shown in the
4:3 shape of cinema screens from the 1920s - 40s the same
1920s film by the French shape as pre-flat screen TVs. But the panorama finale
needed 3 projectors and 3 separate screens side by side.
director Abel Gance. The
review was quite
dismissive so not
expecting much he
Abel Gance with Kevin watched the first reel:
He said: 'The first
shot faded in to reveal Abel Gance intended this film to be the first part of a trilogy.
The first cut ran for 9 hours but was reduced to only 6 hours
the leaders of the French Revolution- Marat, Danton, for the initial performance at the Paris Opera. It was well
received here but the technical
Robespierre. What struck me were the superbly chosen requirements made wider
distribution impossible.
faces. I simply responded to the brilliant casting, and
felt the film blaze into life, like a masterly newsreel of
the eighteenth century.
This was the start of a life-long campaign to search, find By 1980 Kevin Brownlow had
and restore the complete film. Kevin Brownlow wrote to recreated the film in its original
and met with the director to find out how the original format. So Abel Gance (who
project had been planned and what missing parts were died in 1981) lived to see his
needed to assemble a complete copy.
The EU evolved from a collaboration between European Back in 1925 Abel Gance began
countries in the hope of preventing further wars between working on an epic about his
them. It has been said the French were afraid of the hero. This was to be no mere
Germans, the Germans were afraid of themselves but the entertainment. The project was a
British were not afraid of anyone so were always lukewarm serious patriotic commitment. To
his enormous cast and crew he
about joining in. addressed a proclamation saying:
‘We are going to revive the
This is a story of British perseverance Revolution and the Empire. [You Abel Gance as Saint-Just
and French aspiration. The Napoleon will be] conjuring up the spirit of
of the title is about a lost silent your ancestors to convey the
cinematic masterpiece made in 1927. formidable face of France
The film needed special equipment to between 1792 and 1815’
be shown as intended so had a very
Kevin Brownlow limited release at the time. Enthusiasts So what was so remarkable about this film? The enormous
2010 honorary Oscar knew of its existence but no one knew size of the undertaking involved countless thousands of
for film preservation where all the parts were or where any real extras in the crowd scenes (years before CGI) — a
copies could be found. labour of love rather than paid work.
Fast forward to 1953 and a 15 year old Kevin Brownlow
had been collecting old silent films for four years. He was Actors, extras and the director stayed dressed in their 18th
century costumes through-out the three years it took to
particularly interested in French films of the era and had make the film Quite a lot of the Napoleon story was
romanticised but all of the leading characters were real
the luxury of a 9.5mm projector to show them on. But enough. Gance himself played the villainous revolutionary,
Saint-Just, who went to the guillotine with Robespierre.
television was quickly becoming the standard for home
entertainment so these films turned up cheaply in junk
shops around London. Quite by chance he borrowed a film
called Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Revolution. But what captured the interest of archivists were the
amazing technical innovations — never been seen before
Expecting little more than a boring educational film, Kevin and some never since. Spilt screen techniques, new camera
movements, and creative dissolves are all part of film
phoned the British Film making today. However the astounding finale has never
been repeated. Gance created huge panoramas wider than
Institute (BFI) — they any Cinemascope movie — wider even than Cinerama.
And this is one of the reasons the film disappeared from
read out a review of a view. The main part of the Napoleon film was shown in the
4:3 shape of cinema screens from the 1920s - 40s the same
1920s film by the French shape as pre-flat screen TVs. But the panorama finale
needed 3 projectors and 3 separate screens side by side.
director Abel Gance. The
review was quite
dismissive so not
expecting much he
Abel Gance with Kevin watched the first reel:
He said: 'The first
shot faded in to reveal Abel Gance intended this film to be the first part of a trilogy.
The first cut ran for 9 hours but was reduced to only 6 hours
the leaders of the French Revolution- Marat, Danton, for the initial performance at the Paris Opera. It was well
received here but the technical
Robespierre. What struck me were the superbly chosen requirements made wider
distribution impossible.
faces. I simply responded to the brilliant casting, and
felt the film blaze into life, like a masterly newsreel of
the eighteenth century.
This was the start of a life-long campaign to search, find By 1980 Kevin Brownlow had
and restore the complete film. Kevin Brownlow wrote to recreated the film in its original
and met with the director to find out how the original format. So Abel Gance (who
project had been planned and what missing parts were died in 1981) lived to see his
needed to assemble a complete copy.
